History of Halloween

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win").
The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.

The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.

Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.

Trick-or-treating, is an activity for children on or around Halloween in which they proceed from house to house in costumes, asking for treats such as confectionery with the question, "Trick or treat?" The "trick" part of "trick or treat" is a threat to play a trick on the homeowner or his property if no treat is given. Trick-or-treating is one of the main traditions of Halloween. It has become socially expected that if one lives in a neighborhood with children one should purchase treats in preparation for trick-or-treaters.

The history of Halloween has evolved.  The activity is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and due to increased American cultural influence in recent years, imported through exposure to US television and other media, trick-or-treating has started to occur among children in many parts of Europe, and in the Saudi Aramco camps of Dhahran, Akaria compounds and Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. The most significant growth and resistance is in the United Kingdom, where the police have threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to carry out the "trick" element. In continental Europe, where the commerce-driven importation of Halloween is seen with more skepticism, numerous destructive or illegal "tricks" and police warnings have further raised suspicion about this game and Halloween in general.

Unknown facts

1.The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids.

2. The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it’s already been digested by a bee.

3.The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.

4. Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.

5.Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.

6. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.

7. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

8. Most soccer players run 7 miles in a game.

9. The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air.

10.The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot.

Unknown facts

1. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.

2. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.

3. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

4. Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.

5. The Mercedes-Benz motto is “Das Beste oder Nichts” meaning “the best or nothing”.

6. The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.

7. The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.

8. The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night.

9. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system.

Bonus
Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

10. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

Hydroplane

A hydroplane (or hydro, or thunderboat) is a fast motorboat, where the hull shape is such that at speed, the weight of the boat is supported by planing forces, rather than simple buoyancy.

A key aspect of hydroplanes is that they use the water they are on for lift rather than buoyancy, as well as for propulsion and steering: when travelling at high speed water is forced downwards by the bottom of the boat's hull. The water therefore exerts an equal and opposite force upwards, lifting the vast majority of the hull out of the water. This process, happening at the surface of the water, is known as ‘planing’.

Ancient UFO in secret vault B of Shri Padmanabha Swamy Temple

According to an Austrian Journalist Reinhardt Smueller, inside the vault was found a dark grey, very smooth elongated capsule, with no discerning opening. Propped up against the capsule were seven human mummified remains. The human remains showed no signs of violent death, and appeared to be dressed in a thick material with the consistency of silk. The silk itself showed no signs of decay.

What has the authorities very concerned is that the object has an almost inaudible low frequency hum. Further, attempts to see inside the capsule were impossible. It was hoped that a fibre optic camera could be used to see inside, but attempts to drill a small hole into the surface proved the capsule to be impenetrable. Another concern is that the capsule itself has no magnetic properties, but is warm to the touch.

Secret vaults in temple

The temple of Anantha Padmanabha Swamy in Tiruvananthapuram, Kerala has got the world's attention in recent days.  About 1 Lakh crores worth of gold is found in the underground vault's of temple. The committee which was employed takes in to account its value based on ancient and historical facts the value of the treasure will be approximately ten times to the value estimated right now. Treasure includes ancient gold chains, diamonds, rubies and precious stones, silver vessels, and gold statues the value of which is humanly impossible to evaluate in terms of money, bags full of golden coins of different nations including NAPOLEON and ITALIAN were also found.

According to the locals the Travancore kings stored immense riches within the thick stone walls and vaults of the temple.  The temple is controlled by a trust run by the descendants of the Travancore royal family since Independence. The kingdom of Travancore merged with the princely state of Cochin after 1947. It eventually became the present-day state of Kerala. The inspection of the temple began after India’s Supreme Court appointed a seven-member panel to enter and assess the value of the objects stored in its cellars, including the two chambers last thought to have been opened about 150 years ago.

But the chamber B is not yet open Because the steel door of the Chamber-B is having two big COBRA PORTRAITS on it and this door as no nuts, bolts or other latches.

It is considered to be fixed to the secret chamber with the ‘NAGA BANDHAM’ or ‘NAGA PAASAM’ ‘MANTRAS’ by the then ‘SIDDA PURASHAS’ who lived during the reign of KING MARTHANDAVARMA in the 16th CENTURY.

A door of such a secret vault can be opened by a highly erudite ‘SADHUS’ or ‘MANTRIKAS’ who are familiar with the knowledge of extricating ‘NAGA BANDHAM’ or ‘NAGA PASAM’ by chanting a ‘GARUDA MANTRA'; So except in this way, the door can't be opened by any means by anyone. At present NO WHERE IN INDIA or in the WORLD such a highly sacred and powerful ‘SIDDHAPURSHAS’ or ‘Y0GIS’ or ‘MANTRIKAS’ who does know how to execute highly sacred ‘GARUDA MANTRA’ are EXISTING.

If any human attempts are made with man-made technology to open the mysterious Chamber-B other than by chanting highly sacred and powerful ‘GARUDA MANTRAS’ by a highly sacred ‘SADHUS’ or ‘MANTRIKAS’, catastrophes are likely to occur in and around the Temple premises or through out India or even through out the world according to VEDIC ASTROLOGERS OF INDIA, who also revealed their inability to open the door by chanting the secret ‘GARUDA MANTRA’.

Hours of playing video games can change brain for the better

A growing body of university research suggests that gaming improves creativity, decision-making and perception. The specific benefits are wide ranging, from improved hand-eye coordination in surgeons to vision changes that boost night driving ability.

People who played action-based video and computer games made decisions 25 percent faster than others without sacrificing accuracy, according to a study. Indeed, the most adept gamers can make choices and act on them up to six times a second -- four times faster than most people, other researchers found. Moreover, practiced game players can pay attention to more than six things at once without getting confused, compared with the four that someone can normally keep in mind, said University of Rochester researchers. The studies were conducted independently of the companies that sell video and computer games.

Electronic gameplay has its downside too. Brain scans show that violent video games can alter brain function in healthy young men after just a week of play, depressing activity among regions associated with emotional control, researchers at Indiana University recently reported. Other studies have found an association between compulsive gaming and being overweight, introverted and prone to depression. The studies didn't compare the benefits of gaming with such downsides.

The violent action games that often worry parents most had the strongest beneficial effect on the brain. "These are not the games you would think are mind-enhancing," said cognitive neuroscientist Daphne Bavelier, who studies the effect of action games at Switzerland's University of Geneva and the University of Rochester in New York.

Self playing Robot band--The Trons

The Trons are a New Zealand self-playing robot band created by the musician Greg Locke. The band consists of four robots, created from scratch using a variety of spare parts and electronic equipment, and are based in Hamilton (nicknamed Hamiltron or The Tron for short).

History

During the 1990s, while a member of the New Zealand musical duo The Emersons, Greg Locke toyed with the concept of developing a robotic drummer. This concept eventually grew into the idea of creating an entire band of robots.

Critical reputation

The Trons' first dip into stardom came from their YouTube video, which received over 80,000 hits in two days,going on to amass almost a million hits in only a few months. They have received mostly positive critical acclaim, being described as "pure genius" and as being better than Grammy Award-winning British band Coldplay.

Facts About The Earth

The Earth’s rotation is gradually slowing:
This deceleration is happening almost imperceptibly, at approximately 17 milliseconds per hundred years, although the rate at which it occurs is not perfectly uniform. This has the effect of lengthening our days, but it happens so slowly that it could be as much as 140 million years before the length of a day will have increased to 25 hours.

The Earth was once believed to be the centre of the universe:
Due to the apparent movements of the Sun and planets in relation to their viewpoint, ancient scientists insisted that the Earth remained static, whilst other celestial bodies travelled in circular orbits around it. Eventually, the view that the Sun was at the centre of the universe was postulated by Copernicus, though this is also not the case.

Earth has a powerful magnetic field:
This phenomenon is caused by the nickel-iron core of the planet, coupled with its rapid rotation. This field protects the Earth from the effects of solar wind.

There is only one natural satellite of the planet Earth:
As a percentage of the size of the body it orbits, the Moon is the largest satellite of any planet in our solar system. In real terms, however, it is only the fifth largest natural satellite.

Earth is the only planet not named after a god:
The other seven planets in our solar system are all named after Roman gods or goddesses. Although only Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were named during ancient times, because they were visible to the naked eye, the Roman method of naming planets was retained after the discovery of Uranus and Neptune.

Of all the planets in our solar system, the Earth has the greatest density:
This varies according to the part of the planet; for example, the metallic core is denser than the crust. The average density of the Earth is approximately 5.52 grams per cubic centimetre.

What Do The Numbers On Plastic Bottles Mean?

There is a number stamped in a triangle (see image below) on the bottom of just about every plastic bottle we use, which varies from one to seven. I’ve read in various sources  where claims have been made that the particular number represents the recycling process of the plastic, specifically, the amount of times that exact bottle has been recycled, but in reverse order. Well … yes and no … While it does have everything to do with recycling, the number of times an item has been recycled has absolutely nothing to do with that particular number.

That number actually represents the type of plastic which is used in the manufacturing of that particular type of bottle. For example, the number ‘5’ is made out of polypropylene (PP) while the number ‘1’ is called PET which stands for polyethlyene terephthalate.

The numbers below represent the material (type of plastic) that goes into the making of that specific bottle. This number will be useful for you when sorting through the bottles for recycling, but more importantly, the number will help you to determine which bottle is best for reusing or refilling for your own personal use.

Choose water bottles carefully

It is worth paying attention to the type of plastic your water bottle is made of, to ensure that the chemicals in the plastic do not leach into the water.

To be certain that you are choosing a bottle that does not leach, check the recycling symbol on your bottle. If it is a #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a #5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine.

The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is usually a #1, and is only recommended for one time use.  -Do not refill it-

Worlds top addictions

10. Work

Seriously, did I misspell it or you misread it? Work-taught to us since we were handed a pencil and notebook turned into an addiction. When did that happen? The best addiction and the best adjective ’workaholic’ describes a potential leader. Hard work is the key to success. Work hard and you shall reap success and what not! But when you have too much on your plate, can’t think of anything else your work, it is a high sign that your dedication has turned to an obsession. The best ways to take care of it- a day off, chill and relax spend time with family.

9. Shopping

Compulsive or not, shopping is the worst enemy of the fairer sex. We don’t think twice before entering a shop with big neon signs ‘sale’ winking at us. The price tags bother us for a moment or twice but it is no big deal. We have the money and an uncontrollable urge to spend. Shopping is good so far it doesn’t get into one’s habit and an all-too-real problem. It often becomes an excuse to get over an emotional catastrophe. When your habit starts burning a hole in your spouse’s pockets, it is high time that you stop being a spendthrift.

8. Food

Eating should be a comfortable experience, not the one where you are too busy gorging and stuffing yourself with junk. Getting over a break-up? Let’s get you an ice-cream bucket. Or better let’s order something at home and chuck the worries, enjoy the food. We never realize when this way-out becomes our addiction and we see ourselves entering almost every food outlet. Moreover internet has made it so easy and feasible for us to order food. Your favorite pizza is just a click away. Worse even, we hardly burn those extra calories and head towards obesity. Two thumbs down to this addiction.

7. Internet

When the resource turns ugly, it turns against us. Internet is one such resource. No one will deny the multi-purposed network uses in our life. Music, videos, blogs, movies, news and weather, information, social networking are on our tongue tips. Who is hot and who is not, the latest updates, entertainment insights, internet has crept stealthily into our lives like a slow drug. Its use turns into compulsive obsession when we refresh the webpages every ten seconds. We become restless when our status is not liked and our photos are not commented upon. If an individual wants to be online always, S/he is hit by the internet bug.

6. Affairs

While it is normal to have a healthy interest in one’s love life, a person addicted to it is likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. They may be visiting red light areas, having extra marital affairs and engaging themselves in unsafe conditions. Internet has revolutionized obscene videos and its sites in a rampant fashion. When this addiction turns to something more or less than a crime, we begin blaming the internet and the social media for spoiling us. But throughout the picture, we remain in the center stage and it is us who need to control our obsession with it.

5. Gambling

Gaming is not illegal but when monetary resources are involved and used as bait, it turns to gambling. People in the earlier stages of this vice are quickly able to get over. But those who are affected by problem gambling find it absolutely impossible to leave. In spite of having problems in the family, incessant fights with partner, desolation; the person finds himself getting indulgent. While on one hand, there stands a risk of losing almost everything to others; on the bright side, we think of it as the easiest and the quickest way to earn money. Gambling is not a bad thing if it is done within the framework of fun and enjoyment. When despite the fact it hampers us, we refrain from bailing our money; that is a sign we are addicted.

4. Drugs

Substance dependence or drug addiction is a compulsive physiological need to function properly. When the substance is unavailable the user suffers from withdrawal. Depending on the jurisdiction, addictive drugs may be legal as far as they are prescr

Amazing architecture

Gavi Gangadareshwara Temple 

This Cave Temple is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture. This 9^th century temple is said to have been cut out of a single rock and is also famous for its stone discs in the forecourt. It is one amongst the few temples in Bangalore dedicated to Lord Shiva, the main idol being a Shivalinga. The front of the temple is adorned by a sculptor of Nandi.

The temple also has a rare sculpture of the fire god Agni, with his two heads, seven hands and three legs. This temple see’s the largest crowd on the festival of Shivaratri. Devotees gather here on Makara Sankaranti day when it is believed that at a particular moment in the evening the sun’s rays fall directly on the Shivalinga inside the cave. 

Thousands of devotees come in middle January every year on Makar sankranti Day to this cave temple. This is a special day when the sunrays fall on the Shivalinga for one hour as it passes between the horns of the Nandi. Such was the knowledge of architecture and astronomy that the ancient sculptors could craft the horns of the stone bull outside the temple so that the sun's rays would pass through its horns and light up the deity ShivaLinga inside the cave.

Dulce Underground Alien Base

Phil Schneider, supposedly one of three people who survived the 1979 Dulce firefight between the large Greys, US intelligence and military at the Dulce underground base, was found dead on January 1996, due to what was said to be an execution style murder. He was found dead in his apartment with a piano wire wrapped around his neck. According to some sources, it appeared that he repeatedly suffered torture before he was finally killed. You can read his story here – The Mysterious Life and Death of Philip Schneider. There have been numerous questions surrounding Schneider, in particular his motives and state of mind. Seven months prior to his death, he stated the following during a lecture:

Phil Schneider

“To give you an overview of basically what I am, I started off and went through engineering school. Half of my schooling was in that field and I built up a reputation for being a geological engineer, as well as a structural engineer with both military and aerospace applications. I have helped build two main bases in the United States that have some significance as far as what is called the New World Order. The first base is the one at Dulce, New Mexico.”

“Back in 1954, under the Eisenhower administration, the federal government decided to circumvent the Constitution of the United States and form a treaty with alien entities. It was called the 1954 Greada Treaty, which basically made the agreement that the aliens involved could take a few cows and test their implanting techniques on a few human beings, but that they had to give details about the people involved. An insider’s account of the treaty meeting is posted here – President Eisenhower’s Close Encounter at Holloman AFB. Slowly, the aliens altered the bargain until they decided they wouldn’t abide by it at all. Back in 1979, this was the reality, and the fire-fight at Dulce occurred quite by accident. I was involved in building an addition to the deep underground military base at Dulce, which is probably the deepest base. It goes down seven levels and over 2.5 miles deep. At that particular time, we had drilled four distinct holes in the desert, and we were going to link them together and blow out large sections at a time. My job was to go down the holes and check the rock samples, and recommend the explosive to deal with the particular rock. As I was headed down there, we found ourselves amidst a large cavern that was full of outer-space aliens, otherwise known as large Greys. I shot two of them. At that time, there were 30 people down there. About 40 more came down after this started, and all of them got killed. We had surprised a whole underground base of existing aliens. Later, we found out that they had been living on our planet for a long time, perhaps a million years. This could explain a lot of what is behind the theory of ancient astronauts.”

What was the Dulce firefight, really? From information I have gathered, in 1979, a Grey was giving a lecture to an unknown determined number of scientists. During the lecture, a security officer came into the area with a sidearm on his belt. It was strictly forbidden to carry any weapons of any kind anywhere in the vicinity of the Greys. The security officer was instantly killed by the Grey. Other security personnel, witnessing what was happening in that room on the security cameras, came to retaliate. The Grey, according to the information, allegedly killed everybody. The manner in which the Grey killed these people has not been disclosed but was noted that the cause of deaths were ‘head wounds’. The approximate number killed was just over 60 scientists and security.

Because of the nature of the sources, I believe the story to be essentially true though most of the information is third hand. It was, for the most part, an unfortunate accident and was classified as such.

Now…let’s go beyond the firefight and look deeper into the alleged secret alien underground facility known as Dulce Base:

During the past few years, I have accorded some attention to several unexplained livestock attacks and cryptid sightings on the Dine Navajo lands in the Four Corners region…in particular, those areas in northwest New Mexico. Many of these attacks were, most likely, the result of Bigfoot-type hominids that are regularly seen in this area. Other attacks have a more bizarre angle, especially when the tracks of the perpetrator are of an unfamiliar genus and / or suddenly end in mid-stride as well as animal carcasses drained of blood and not fed upon.

The Archuleta Mesa area near Dulce, New Mexico has long been rumored to hold a joint government-alien biogenetic laboratory designed to carry out bizarre experiments on humans and animals. It has also been said that the lower levels of this underground system stretches between Dulce and Los Alamos some 90 miles to the south-east. Because of the proximity of these facilities to the Dine Navajo lands, is it possible that these attacks are of unknown experimental beings that have either escaped from the facility or have been released in order to be scientifically monitored?

It may seem to be a far-fetched hypothesis…unless, of course, you are the victim of the attacks and have no idea of what you’re dealing with.

Thought for the day

When we seek to discover the best in others,we somehow bring out the best in ourselves

Rubik's Cube

The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by Erno Rubik; he wanted a working model to help explain three-dimensional geometry. It took him one month before he was able to solve the Cube for himself.
Over 350 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold worldwide – making it the bestselling toy of all time.
The best speed cubers (people who take part in speed cubing – a sport where competitors try and solve the cube as quickly as possible) can solve the cube in under 6 seconds. Check out the section on speed cubing here.
Every legal permutation of the Rubik’s Cube can be solved in 20 moves or fewer.
The Rubik’s Cube was first called the Magic cube but was renamed in 1980 for its global release.

Self Motivational Tips

No one can motivate anyone to do anything. All a person can do for another is
provide them with incentives to motivate themselves. Here are ten very effective
strategies to help you get up and get moving toward actualizing your enormous,
untapped potential.

* Be willing to leave your comfort zone. The greatest barrier to achieving your
potential is your comfort zone. Great things happen when you make friends with your discomfort zone.

* Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Wisdom helps us avoid making mistakes and comes from making a million of them.

* Don’t indulge in self-limiting thinking. Think empowering, expansive thoughts.

*Choose to be happy. Happy people are easily motivated. Happiness is your
birthright so don’t settle for anything else.

* Spend at least one hour a day in self-development. Read good books or listen to inspiring tapes. Driving to and from work provides an excellent opportunity to listen to self-improvement tapes.

* Train yourself to finish what you start. So many of us become scattered as we
try to accomplish a task. Finish one task before you begin another.

* Live fully in the present moment. When you live in the past or the future you
are not able to make things happen in the present.

* Commit yourself to joy. C.S. Lewis once said, “Joy is the serious business of
heaven.”

* Never quit when you experience a setback or frustration. Success could be just
around the corner.

* Dare to dream big dreams. If there is anything to the law of expectation then we are moving in the direction of our dreams, goals and expectations.

The real tragedy in life is not in how much we suffer, but rather in how much we
miss, so don’t miss a thing.

Benefits of dark chocolate

1.Dark Chocolate is a Powerful Source of Antioxidants

2.Dark Chocolate May Improve Blood Flow and Lower Blood Pressure

3.Dark Chocolate Raises HDL and Protects LDL Against Oxidation

Consuming dark chocolate can improve several important risk factors for heart disease.

In a controlled trial, cocoa powder was found to significantly decrease oxidized LDL cholesterol in men.

It also increased HDL and lowered total LDL in men with elevated cholesterol 

4.Dark chocolate may lower cardiovascular Disease

5.It may protect your skin from sun

6.It may improve brain function

Thought for the day

“The past cannot be changed.
The future is yet in your power.”
~ Mary Pickford

Things everyone should know

1. You should know how to start a fire without matches.

2. You should know basic survival skills.

3. You should know how to grow your own vegetables.

Even if you live in a city, you should make an effort to learn to grow your own food- including all kinds of vegetables, herbs and fruits. It takes a lot of skill, experience and time to make these plants yield valuable output- so if you’re interested in learning this- don’t waste another minute. You might need this skill one day.

4. You should know how to swim.

5. You should know how to change a tire.

It’s possible you get a flat while on a trip one day, with no access to a car repair place; perhaps even stranded in the middle of nowhere. What if no one on this trip knew how to change the tire?  Changing a tire is something you can learn how to do in a matter of minutes that could save you lots of time and headaches on your next road trip.

6. You should know how to jump start a car.

7. You should know how to code.

Not knowing how to program will soon become synonymous to being illiterate. It doesn’t seem this way yet, but this age is coming. If you don’t know how to program, you’re merely consuming the whole world around you, which is programmed. It’s important to know how to navigate this new world by being able to tell the computer what to do. If you want to start empowering yourself, here are some resouces.

8. You should know how to build a website.

Another issue of basic technological literacy. Everyone should have a website- whether it’s personal or for a business. If you don’t know the basics of building a website, you have to hire someone or buy a template. You are going to benefit a great deal from learning. It’s also a great WAY TO EARN side income.

9. You should know how to think critically and question the status quo.

With all this information at our fingertips, now more than ever, we need to be able to think for ourselves, question the current way of doing things, and be critical of all forms of media, government and education.

10. You should know how to cook an egg (correctly!)

11. You should know how to perform CPR.

Do you want to save a life? 70 percent of Americans feel helpless during a cardiac emergency, and here’s another surprising statistic- the life you save is most likely the life of someone you love, because 4 out of 5 cardiac arrests occur at home.

12. You should know how to manage your time.

Time management is a precise art and science, and if you haven’t studied it yet, you should. Applying these principles of time management to your life can get you back precious hours you didn’t know you had, and completely eliminate much of your productivity destroying behavior.

13. You should know how to dress properly.

14. You should know how to approach and meet new people.

Even if you’re an introvert, it is important to have the ability to walk up to a new person and hold a nice conversation. Meeting people is a great way to learn new things, expand your network, and gain new opportunities in life.

15. You should know how to lift your own weight.

If you can lift your own weight, it also means you can lift a lot of things without having to rely on someone else.  Having strength is always a handy trait to have and, in case of an emergency involving hanging off a ledge, you’ll be able to pull yourself out of trouble with ease.

16. You should know how to remember peoples’ names.

17. You should know how to give a toast in front of lots of people.

Public speaking is the number one fear in the world (ranking higher than the fear of death.) It’s a fear, but if you practice, it’s not that scary. Learning to say a few words in front of a large or small group is a huge asset that can be used in so many instances, professional and personal. For example, you may need to give a toast at a wedding some day. Don’t you want to be prepared and make it awesome? Go to a local Toastmasters Club meeting and try it out.

18. You should know how to negotiate.

Good negotiation skills can save you a ton of money. These skills can also get you that raise at your job you’ve been dreaming about. If you know how to negotiate properly, it means you’re holding all the cards and you’re prepared to battle it out.

19. You should know how to detect a lie.

Learning to detect when someone is lying to you seems like a sneaky thing to do, but you’d be surprised how handy it could become, especially if you’re raising children, or in charge of a huge team. It gives you the chance to consider all possibilities in a relationship. Did you know 91 percent of humans lie on a regular basis at work and at home, and you’re lied to about 2 or 3 times in a ten minute conversation? Yeah. Food for thought.

20. You should know how to shut up and listen genuinely.

21. You should know how to tell a good story.

It sucks being the one person around the campfire who has nothing to offer, doesn’t it? Learn how to tell a good story that will have people using their imaginations again.  When the power goes out or there’s no cell phone service available, you’ll be a valuable source of entertainment to everyone.

22. You should know how to defend yourself against single and multiple assailants.

23. You should know how to invest in the stock market.

24. You should know how to speak at least one or two languages besides English.

25. You should know how to make money (without a job.)

Jobs and paychecks are not the only way TO EARN MONEY. There are many entrepreneurs out there who know this, but there are just as many people who are wondering how it’s done while slaving away at jobs. There is another way, and it’s not magic, or the lottery. It’s determination, investing in your own education, and lots of sweat. And it’s definitely possible. Instead of plopping down in front of the t.v. after work, set some time aside to learns something and build up your educational and entrepreneurial skills.

26. You should know how to manage your personal finances.

This means knowing how to create a budget, knowing how to save money, automating your income and learning to INVESTand pay yourself first, before paying all your bills.

27. You should know how to draw.

In A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink talks about the importance of flexing our “right brain” muscles, by learning creative skills such as drawing. Learning to draw will actually improve leadership ability in a person, and enhance and develop traits like empathy, inventiveness, and big-picture thinking.

28. You should know how to be a respectful house guest.

29. You should know how to keep your computer secure.

With all the information security threats and identity theft these days, we all want to make sure our computer is secure, our personal data is private (as much as possible), and our firewalls are up. Do you know how to set yours up? This is basic computer literacy  and probably one of the more important things to be aware of.

30. You should know how to navigate with a map and compass (without a GPS).

Not to mention- learn to find the north star, learn to get your east/west bearings from the sun… what if you’re on a trip and your GPS system fails you?

31. You should know how to sew.

32. You should know how to travel hack.

Once you learn this skill, you will never want to pay for a plane ticket ever again. Just type “travel hacking” into your search engine and let the fun begin.

33. You should know how to be happy.

34. You should know how to have a conversation with someone of any age.

It’s a sign of true maturity and humanity when a person can hold a quality conversation with a 5 year old or a 92 year old person without flinching. You will also learn so much about life if you do this regularly.

35. You should know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle.

People who drive stick shift (manual transmission) cars understand their car engines better than people who drive automatic transmission vehicles. Manual transmission vehicles are more energy efficient than automatic transmission vehicles. They are also more responsive to braking and accelerating, and they are safer because of this higher level of control from the driver. A more informed and advanced driver is also a safer driver. Finally, many parts of the world drive manual transmission cars more than automatic cars, and you may need to know how to drive one at some point in your life!

36. You should know how to back up your data.

37. You should know how to say “I’m sorry” and “I was wrong.”

38. You should know how to sing or play an instrument.

39. You should know how to ask for help.

It takes guts to do this, and at some point in everyone’s life, they will need some help from somebody.

40. You should know how the basics of how to repair a car.

I am always amazed at how the guys from Top Gear (the original, British version) can fix a broken down car in the middle of driving through some crazy salt flats, or the desert. How useful would it be if we could all understand the basic workings of a car, diagnose the problem, and fix our own cars instead of spending hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars at the car repair shop, trying to describe the weird sound the car is making to the mechanics.

41. You should know how to control your temper.

Holding onto anger, as well as letting anger control your actions usually does more harm to you than good. Learn to let the anger dissipate before reacting. Many angry emails were regrettably sent because of the inability to control our tempers and let the passion die down a bit first.

42. You should know how to show gratitude, write a thank you note.

43. You should know how to write professionally.

There are many, many reasons why you should know how to write professionally, from the basic cover letter to the customer service email. Writing professionally will allow your message to be clear and your voice to be respected, even when you’re not speaking face to face.

44. You should know how to perform basic first aid.

45. You should know how to give a compliment.

46. You should know the correct way to respond to criticism.

Learn this skill to avoid looking defensive, unprepared and immature. Criticism is a good thing (most of the time), and it can help you improve and develop yourself if you can learn how to take it objectively and reflect on yourself and your work.

47. You should know how to put together a basic emergency preparedness kit.

48. You should know how to use google efficiently.

Cameras

Photographic cameras were a development of the camera obscura
which uses a Pinhole or lens to project an image of the scene outside upside-down onto a viewing surface.

Before the invention of photographic processes there was no way to preserve the images produced by these cameras apart from manually tracing them. The earliest cameras were room-sized, with space for one or more people inside; these gradually evolved into more and more compact models.

Silver chloride coated paper

The first partially successful photograph of a camera image was made in approximately 1816 using a very small camera of his own making and a piece of paper coated with Silver chloride, which darkened where it was exposed to light. No means of removing the remaining unaffected silver chloride, so the photograph was not permanent.

Kodak and birth of film

The use of photographic film was pioneered by George Eastman, who started manufacturing paper film in 1885 before switching to celluloid in 1889. His first camera, which he called the "Kodak," was first offered for sale in 1888. It was a very simplebox camera with a fixed-focus lens and single shutter speed.

Nowadays we use autofocus and DSLR cameras as we all know

History and reason behind rails

Including systems with man or horse power, and tracks or guides made of stone or wood, the history of rail transport dates to as early as Greek times.

Wagonways  were relatively common in Europe (typically in mining) from about 1500 through 1800. Mechanised rail transport systems first appeared in England in the 1820s. These systems, which made use of the Steam locomotive, were critical to the Industrial revolution and to the development of export economies across the world. They have remained the primary form of land transport ever since for most of the world.

Reason for rails 

Reducing Friction

Reducing friction was one of the major reasons for the success of railroads compared to wagons. This was demonstrated on an iron plate covered wooden tramway in 1805 at Croydon.

“ A good horse on an ordinary turnpike road can draw two thousand pounds, or one ton. A party of gentlemen were invited to look upon the experiment, that the superiority of the new road might be established by ocular demonstration. Twelve wagons were loaded with stones, till each wagon weighed three tons, and the wagons were fastened together. A horse was then attached, which drew the wagons with ease, six miles in two hours, having stopped four times, in order to show he had the power of starting, as well as drawing his great load.”

History of coins

All western histories of coins begin with their invention at some time slightly before or after 700 BC. in Aegina Island, or according to others in Ephesus, Lydia, 650 BC. Ancient India in circa 6th century BC, was one of the earliest issuers of coins in the world.

Silver and gold coins are the most common and universally recognized throughout history, even today. Mints around the world still make millions of gold and silver coins, such as the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, the American Gold Eagle, and the Australian Nugget. Copper, nickel, and other metals are also common, but in lower denominations.

The oldest coin available today was discovered in Efesos, an ancient Hellenic city and prosperous trading center on the coast of Asia Minor

Sundial

A sundial is a device that tells the time of day by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a sharp, straight edge. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow-edge aligns with different hour-lines. All sundials must be aligned with their styles parallel to the axis of the Earth's rotation to tell the correct time throughout the year. The style's angle from the horizontal will thus equal the sundial's geographical latitude. It is common for inexpensive mass-produced decorative sundials to have incorrect hour angles, which cannot be adjusted to tell correct time.

World's oldest sundial, from Egypt's Valley of the Kings (c. 1500 BC)



In the heart of the “Pink City” of Jaipur, India exists a centuries-old observatory used for numbering the stars and counting the minutes.

Thought for the day

The candle of hope is source of light for success in life. Failures try to blow it out but try to guard it with both of your hands

How Long it Really Takes to Build a New Habit

Phillippa Lally is a Health Psychology researcher at University College London. In a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Lally and her research team decided to figure out just how long it actually takes to form a habit.

The study examined the habits of 96 people over a 12-week period. Each person chose one new habit for the 12 weeks and reported each day on whether or not they did the behavior and how automatic the behavior felt.

Some people chose simple habits like “drinking a bottle of water with lunch.” Others chose more difficult tasks like “running for 15 minutes before dinner.” At the end of the 12 weeks, the researchers analyzed the data to determine how long it took each person to go from starting a new behavior to automatically doing it.

The answer?

On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In Lally’s study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit. 

In other words, if you want to set your expectations appropriately, the truth is that it will probably take you anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behavior into your life — not 21 days.

Top fuel dragsters

Top Fuel dragsters are the fastest sanctioned category of drag racers, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of 330 miles per hour (530 km/h) and finishing the 1,000 foot (300 m) runs in 3.7 seconds, or the full quarter mile (402 m) in 4.4 seconds.

Reason behind quick airbag inflation

The goal of an airbag is to slow the passenger's forward motion as evenly as possible in a fraction of a second. There are three parts to an airbag that help to accomplish this feat:

The sensor is the device that tells the bag to inflate. Inflation happens when there is a collision force equal to running into a brick wall at 10 to 15 miles per hour (16 to 24 km per hour). A mechanical switch is flipped when there is a mass shift that closes an electrical contact, telling the sensors that a crash has occurred. The sensors receive information from an accelerometer built into a microchip.

The airbag's inflation system reacts sodium azide (NaN3) with potassium nitrate (KNO3) to produce nitrogen gas. Hot blasts of the nitrogen inflate the airbag.

This system is also used in airplane escape chutes